Pavol Demitra
| birth_place = Dubnica nad Váhom, Czechoslovakia | draft = 227th overall | draft_year = 1993 | draft_team = Ottawa Senators | career_start = 1993 }} Pavol Demitra (born November 29, 1974, in Dubnica nad Váhom, Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia) is a Slovak professional ice hockey player. He plays centre for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Since joining the league in 1993, he has played with five different teams: the Canucks, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild. Before he joined the NHL, Demitra played in his native Slovakia, as well as the American Hockey League and International Hockey League, minor professional leagues in North America. Playing career After playing in the Czechoslovak Extraliga with Dubnica and Trenčín for two years, Pavol Demitra was drafted in the ninth round, 227th overall, by the Ottawa Senators in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Demitra would play the majority of the next three seasons for Ottawa's American Hockey League affiliate, the Prince Edward Island Senators, making brief appearances in the NHL. In 1995-96, Demitra scored 81 points in the AHL in 48 games. On November 27, 1996, Demitra was traded from Ottawa to the St. Louis Blues for Christer Olsson. Demitra would continue to play in the minor leagues with St. Louis' IHL affiliates, the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Las Vegas Thunder before beginning to play full-time with the Blues in 1997-98. The following season, in 1998-99, he emerged as an NHL star, appearing in his first NHL All-Star Game as part of a 37-goal, 89-point campaign. He made two more All-Star Game appearances with the Blues in 2000 and 2002 as well. In 2002-03, he recorded career highs in goals (36), assists (57), and points (93), while finishing sixth in league scoring. As NHL play was halted in 2004-05 due to the lockout, he returned to Trenčín (now of the Slovak Extraliga), signing with the team on September 17, 2004. Demitra scored 82 points in 54 games. When NHL play was set to resume the next season, he joined the Los Angeles Kings as an unrestricted free agent on August 2, 2005, signing a three-year, $13.5 million contract. Demitra left the Blues fifth in franchise all-time scoring with 493 points in 494 games. In his only season with the Kings, Demitra scored 62 points while limited to just 58 games due to health problems that included an eye injury. Following the 2005-06 season, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild on draft day in exchange for Patrick O'Sullivan and Edmonton's first round draft choice in 2006 (Trevor Lewis) on June 24, 2006. Playing with the Wild, he teamed up with fellow Slovak Marian Gaborik and recorded 64 points in 2006-07 and 54 points in 2007-08. As part of the Wild's rotating captaincy, he was named the team captain for the month of October 2007. As Demitra became an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2007-08 season, he established that his first choice was the Vancouver Canucks. On July 10, 2008, he signed a two-year, $8 million contract with Vancouver. He scored his first goal as a Canuck on October 11, a game-winning overtime goal against the Calgary Flames. Several games later, on October 19, in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Demitra suffered a rib cartilage fracture; he is projected to be out of the Canucks' lineup until the end of November. Awards & achievements *Awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2000. *Played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1999, 2000 and 2002. *Fifth on St. Louis Blues' all-time scoring list - 204 goals, 289 assists, 493 points in 494 games Career statistics Regular season and playoffs All Star Games International Play }} }} Demitra has played for Czechosolovakia in the following competitions: *1992 European Junior Championships Demitra has played for Czech Republic in the follwing competitions: *1993 World Junior Championships (bronze medal) Demitra has played for Slovakia in the following competitions: *1996 World Championships *1996 World Cup *2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City *2003 World Championships (bronze medal) *2004 World Championship *2004 World Cup *2005 World Championships *2006 Winter Olympics in Torino *2007 World Championships References See also *Slovaks in the NHL *List of NHL players *List of NHL seasons External links * * * Category:1974 births Category:Grand Rapids Griffins (IHL) players Category:Ice hockey players at the 1998 Winter Olympics Category:Ice hockey players at the 2002 Winter Olympics Category:Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics Category:Lady Byng winners Category:Las Vegas Thunder players Category:Living people Category:Los Angeles Kings players Category:Minnesota Wild players Category:National Hockey League All-Stars Category:Olympic ice hockey players of Slovakia Category:Ottawa Senators draft picks Category:Ottawa Senators players Category:Prince Edward Island Senators players Category:Slovak ice hockey players Category:St. Louis Blues players Category:Vancouver Canucks players cs:Pavol Demitra de:Pavol Demitra fr:Pavol Demitra pl:Pavol Demitra ru:Демитра, Павол sk:Pavol Demitra fi:Pavol Demitra sv:Pavol Demitra